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Cover image by Scot Facer Proctor.
We have the glorious opportunity to listen to another general conference of the Church this weekend. Have we prepared ourselves to receive the word of the Lord? Are we in tune so that we can have our own questions answered? A quick review of some of President Monson’s words will help us prepare.
The Lord Himself gave us the pattern for receiving His words through His ordained servants—and especially listening to a prophet’s voice:
“Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; for his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.” (D&C 21:4-5)
And this commandment, given on the day the Church was organized, comes with an amazing promise—one that we truly need today:
“For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.” (D&C 21:6)
We took a few minutes and gathered 12 admonitions that President Monson has given us in the last five years. There are many more. Are we following them?
1-Be of good cheer.
October 2012
“Let us be of good cheer as we go about our lives. Although we live in increasingly perilous times, the Lord loves us and is mindful of us. He is always on our side as we do what is right. He will help us in time of need. Difficulties come into our lives, problems we do not anticipate and which we would never choose. None of us is immune. The purpose of mortality is to learn and to grow to be more like our Father, and it is often during the difficult times that we learn the most, as painful as the lessons may be. Our lives can also be filled with joy as we follow the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
2-Attend the Temple
April 2015
“My brothers and sisters, in our lives we will have temptations; we will have trials and challenges. As we go to the temple, as we remember the covenants we make there, we will be better able to overcome those temptations and to bear our trials. In the temple we can find peace.”
3-Look to Jesus as our Exemplar
October 2014
“As we look to Jesus as our Exemplar and as we follow in His footsteps, we can return safely to our Heavenly Father to live with Him forever. Said the prophet Nephi, ‘Unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.’”
4-Build Great and powerful Faith
April 2016
“May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals.”
5-Be Courageous, Stand for Principle
April 2014
“We will all face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us—all of us—have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully but also as the determination to live decently. As we move forward, striving to live as we should, we will surely receive help from the Lord and can find comfort in His words. I love His promise recorded in the book of Joshua:
‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. …
‘… Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.'”
6-Keep the Word of Wisdom.
October 2016
“May we care for our bodies and our minds by observing the principles set forth in the Word of Wisdom, a divinely provided plan. With all my heart and soul, I testify of the glorious blessings which await us as we do.”
7-Love One Another and Love God
April 2014
“We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey. Likewise, we cannot fully love our fellowmen if we do not love God, the Father of us all. The Apostle John tells us, ‘This commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.’ We are all spirit children of our Heavenly Father and, as such, are brothers and sisters. As we keep this truth in mind, loving all of God’s children will become easier.
Actually, love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar. His life was a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved. At the end the angry mob took His life. And yet there rings from Golgotha’s hill the words: ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’—a crowning expression in mortality of compassion and love.”
8-See Men as they May Become
October 2012
“Sometimes letting our brethren know they are needed and valued can help them take that step into commitment and full activity. This can be true of priesthood holders regardless of age. It is our responsibility to give them opportunities to live as they should. We can help them to overcome their shortcomings. We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become when they receive testimonies of the gospel of Christ.”
9-Remember Your Heavenly Father Always
October 2013
“My brothers and sisters, may we have a commitment to our Heavenly Father that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. We should not need to experience difficulties for us to remember Him, and we should not be driven to humility before giving Him our faith and trust.
May we ever strive to be close to our Heavenly Father. To do so, we must pray to Him and listen to Him every day. We truly need Him every hour, whether they be hours of sunshine or of rain. May His promise ever be our watchword: ‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.'”
10-Put Our Trust in the Lord
April 2013
“We live at a time in the world’s history when there are many difficult challenges but also great opportunities and reasons for rejoicing. There are, of course, those times when we experience disappointments, heartaches, and even tragedies in our lives. However, if we will put our trust in the Lord, He will help us through our difficulties, whatever they may be. The Psalmist provided this assurance: ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'”
11-Keep the Commandments
October 2015
“My message to you tonight is straightforward. It is this: keep the commandments.
God’s commandments are not given to frustrate us or to become obstacles to our happiness. Just the opposite is true. He who created us and who loves us perfectly knows just how we need to live our lives in order to obtain the greatest happiness possible…
I plead with you to avoid anything that will deprive you of your happiness here in mortality and eternal life in the world to come. With his deceptions and lies, the adversary will lead you down a slippery slope to your destruction if you allow him to do so…
Great courage will be required as we remain faithful and true amid the ever-increasing pressures and insidious influences with which we are surrounded and which distort the truth, tear down the good and the decent, and attempt to substitute the man-made philosophies of the world…
May we realize that our greatest happiness in this life will come as we follow God’s commandments and obey His laws!”
12-Remain Strong and Faithful to the Truth of the Gospel
April 2012
“Believe that remaining strong and faithful to the truths of the gospel is of utmost importance. I testify that it is!”
Grandma 21March 30, 2017
Thank you for publishing that wonderful counsel from President Monson's talks. Great reminders for all of us.
Margie KawamotoMarch 30, 2017
Excellent counsel from our beloved prophet, Thomas S Monson. Just finished writing this entire essay in my daily study journal lest I get distracted and forget. Thank you for sharing with us. So looking fwd to General Conference in a few days!